WW-I Aircraft for Whiffery.

[Daryl J.]

Having just purchased some 1/32 Hobbycraft WW-1 aircraft and having the urge to do some minor whiff-work on them, I'd just like to make sure these are 'realistic' enough to make people wonder if they'd missed part of their history lessons.


Nieuport 17 on floats similar to the Handriot floatplane
Sopwith Camel (new tool) with spats----not in olive green.
Dr.1 on skiis, in overall white with some black or red trim
Spad XIII revised into a parasol post-war race plane


Close enough?

:ar:  :ar:  :ar:
Daryl J.

[Martin H]

works for me lol. sounds just enought to confuse....perfect.

[Brian da Basher]

<snip>

Sopwith Camel (new tool) with spats----not in olive green.

<snip>

This is my favorite of the lot. Everything's sexier with spats!

I love spats!  

Brian da Basher

[Daryl J.]

Brian,

The Sopwith is an Homage du Brian.    Hopefully one or more of these will be displayed this September at the Evergreen Aviation Museum by the Spruce Goose when IPMS Region 7 (USA) has their Recon.    A couple of ''confusers'' there would be great as most of the attendees are very open minded, fun-loving people.    B)


Daryl J.

[Brian da Basher]

Wow I'm very touched Daryl. IPMS Region 7 (USA)....another reason to love the great Pacific Northwest!

I hope you're able to share some pics of these projects with us.  B)

Brian da Basher

[jcf]

Having just purchased some 1/32 Hobbycraft WW-1 aircraft and having the urge to do some minor whiff-work on them, I'd just like to make sure these are 'realistic' enough to make people wonder if they'd missed part of their history lessons.


Nieuport 17 on floats similar to the Handriot floatplane
Sopwith Camel (new tool) with spats----not in olive green.
Dr.1 on skiis, in overall white with some black or red trim
Spad XIII revised into a parasol post-war race plane


Close enough?

:ar:  :ar:  :ar:
Daryl J.

Nieuport built floatplanes prior to the war, and the 6H monoplane on floats was used during the early phases of the war so a 17 on floats is completely within the realm of "possibility".


Nieuport 4H


4H float


6H


French Navy 6H

For the SPAD I'd suggest making it a Sesquiplane, as that is right inline with other racers of the period...and also you'll need a place to attach the rigging. SPAD designed aircraft wings used an extremely thin high-speed aerofoil and they required struts and lots of rigging for structural integrity...which is why, unlike most of their contemporaries, the WWI SPAD fighters have a two-bay wing structure.

Nieuport, for one, built a series of sesquiplanes:


an American example is the Navy-Wright NW-1


and for a plain parasol there is the  Curtis XF6C-6 (Paul Fisher has done a 1/48th kit of this aircraft)

Now as to a Dr.1 on skis, as you'd expect the Russians made the greatest use of ski gear in WWI
here's an example of types:


HTH


Cheers, Jon

[NARSES2]

Well I've a Revell Fokker DVII that I'm intending to build as a parasol fighter - sort of Fokker DVII and a half !

[Radish]

The SE5A is a belter for whatiffery too.

The rectangular front end means that it's easy to extend or graft another nose onto it, and with a more powerful engine you can have:

a very high-powered biplane
or
similar power but sesquiplane
or
similar power but parasol-winged
or
similar powered but low-winged monoplane.

With the additional power I'd increase the size of the tail/fin ensemble, but it'll look interesting.

I'm going to whiff some of my Revell 1/48th SE5As along similar lines to the above.....different engines for all of them probably.

The floats look interesting too.
A floatplane Canmel and/or SE5A is a definite, with wooden floats carved from balsa. Natural wood grain, you see.      

[Mike Wren]

SE5a Triplane?    

[Radish]

Well a triplane is certainly an option, Mikey, with the spare wing or two available.

Of course, another possibility with a VERY extended nose is canards!!      

[Daryl J.]

Howzabubbs!      

*What* a response!   That was muchly appreciated.


Daryl J., right-click; save

PS:  Are those ''kegs'' radiators?   Perhaps this is where the author of Porco Rosso got some of his ideas, yes?

PPS:   The S.E.5a has always looked like a flying French Fry to me.......

 

[jcf]

Howzabubbs!     

*What* a response!   That was muchly appreciated.


Daryl J., right-click; save

PS:  Are those ''kegs'' radiators?   Perhaps this is where the author of Porco Rosso got some of his ideas, yes?

PPS:   The S.E.5a has always looked like a flying French Fry to me.......

Lamblin "lobster pot" radiators...and yes Miyazaki was definitely riffing on reality with Porco Rosso.

While Porco's Savoia S.21 looks more like a Macchi M-33:


there actually was a Savoia S.21 racer prototype:


Harry Woodman's book on plastic card modelling dealt briefly with making the Lamblin:

Woodman: engines, exhausts and radiators


Cheers, Jon

[Daryl J.]

Now the M.33, that's an airframe ripe for whiffing!   Be it Biplane, Ekranoplan, Monoplane with a turbojet and twin tails, or the like............... B)   A web trip to HLJ sent Ye Olde Credit Carde into spasms and two 1/72 Fine Molds and one 1/48 Fine Molds S.21's shipped stateside.     Now if they would issue Ben Curtiss' machine in 1/48.......yes there's the Testors kit to start with....... B)  B)  B)


Daryl J.

[Archibald]

Saw this picture years ago on TV... and bought the DVD one month ago. Saw it second time yesterday... lovely  picture! Is there a model of Porco flying-boat available?  

[Daryl J.]

Archibald:

Fine Molds make the Porco Rosso Savoia S.21 in both 1/72 and 1/48.   The Curtiss is available only in 1/72.    For US buyers, it is far less costly to purchase from www.HLJ.com and ship across the Pacific.    The kits are simple, fit well, and are a hoot to have.

Testors make a 1/48 Curtiss Racer similar to the Porco Rosso biplane but is a replica of the actual aircraft rather than a cartoon.   Modification of Testors kit would have to be extremely extensive if not impossible altogether.   Still, the little ex-Hawk kit is a fun, quick build.

HTH,
Daryl J.

[Edit in August 2008]  Fine Molds make a 1/48 Curtiss R3C-O now which is a stunning kit for a limited run and is easily in Tamiyagawa territory.